by Dan | May 17, 2026 | Etc.
It has been a busy week! We had our DASH around Kampeska Half Marathon Saturday morning, and this is a group picture of many of us who were involved in setting up this race. It took a group effort to pull this off, and everybody had a role. Bottom line, we all had to know where we were headed, what needed to be done, and how to work together. It was the 6th annual event we have done. This ties in also to when I was at camera club this month. It was on Tuesday this week, and is only my second time going, with the first being last month. Each of us has to show pictures we have taken, and I got to decide the theme for this month since I was the new one. I chose “reflections”, as it ties in well with my “Reiffenberger Reflections” I do weekly. I was very nervous. I truly am an amateur when it comes to photography, and there are some incredible photographers in the club. It turns out I really had nothing to worry about. We all love taking pictures, and everybody provides feedback and how we can take even better pictures. Patrick, who is one of the people who set up this club, made a comment to me at the end of my presentation of pictures, and told me I have a “knack” for keeping the horizon level. He said for him, this is what stood out with all of my pictures. I loved it! I started out by showing a picture with reflections of me taking pictures…
…I did this first as a means to be humorous, and break the ice, but I told everybody when I tried to set up the mirrors, and have them angled in order for me to appear in all 3 mirrors, it took some work. It also taught me that any shift in the angle then produces a different picture, and thus a different view. Here I was trying to add some humor at first, and I ended up teaching myself something more as well. And this then added to what you have to do with the camera to keep the horizon level.
These were some of the pictures I used to show them. As the week went on, the comment he had made about my pictures really stuck with me. “Keeping the horizon level” can really have a lot of different meanings for me lately, not just with pictures. It can represent continuing forward movement…possibilities. Especially now dealing with an injury with my knee that occurred while running (I have not been able to run for 3 1/2 weeks). I have to “adapt” (my word for the year!) and come up with other activities to move without impacting my knee. The horizon changes. Some days it is clear. Some days it isn’t. But it is always there! Life works the same way! The horizon can depend on where you stand. What you focus on. How you frame the picture. Photography and life connect perfectly here. Sometimes the challenge isn’t changing the scene. It’s learning how to see it differently! The horizon always suggests that there is more ahead. For me, that involves: Retirement. Injury. Uncertainty. The story isn’t over. The horizon can actually help me (you) transition…adjust…adapt…reflect…move forward…change identity. If the horizon changes depending on where you stand, maybe life does too. Even when life “tilts” a little, we keep trying to find level ground. Finding balance. It can be easy at times to “throw in the towel” when things come up unexpected, and our plans change, or are forced to change. Doing this makes us resilient…and allows us to “adapt”. Maybe keeping the horizon level is less about perfection…and more about maintaining perspective when life shifts. Something to think about anyway. Keep striving…and keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 809
by Dan | May 10, 2026 | Etc.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mom’s out there. You know who you are. Whether you have children or not, many of you are a mom to someone…our pets, our nieces/nephews, friends, etc. You are important to many people. You are the “Heart of the Family!” I went and saw my mom in the Nursing home yesterday. She is 92 years old. My Dad passed away 12 years ago. Today would be their 71st Wedding Anniversary. She misses him so much! But like I told my mom yesterday, we still get to enjoy her company yet, and someday, she will be with Dad again. I love her so much!
Megan and Sarah were along as well. Yesterday was the Avera Breast Cancer Run/Walk. It has been a tradition for many of us in our family, starting many years ago with my sister-in-law Joni. We are part of the Pink Panthers team. Yesterday, the day for us was also for my sister Mary, recently diagnosed. We are all getting older…the health risk all go up. But, we can still be together as a family to support each other. That is a tradition my parents instilled in us, and we have been told many times from my mom how proud it makes her, and how happy it makes her, that we all get along, and truly care about each other.
There were over 8,000 people registered to participate in the event yesterday. I truly don’t know of anybody who can say they do not have a relative, or friend, that they have that has not been affected by breast cancer. We need to continue to support “the Heart of the Family”.
Also, to Sarah’s mom Twyla, to my daughter Molly, and especially to my Sarah…
…Happy Mother’s Day! As with yesterday, some runs are about pace. Some are about purpose. Today, I find myself grateful for all the women who carry strength into the lives around them–often more quietly that they realize. You are a mother to your kids…your nieces/nephews…your dogs…your friends. Don’t underestimate your importance, and the role of a “mother” to someone that you are a part of. To the world, you are a mom…but to each of your families, you are the world! The older I get, the more I realize how much of life’s strength comes from the women beside us. Thank you for all you do…not just today…but everyday! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of newest streak: # 802
by Dan | May 3, 2026 | Etc.
Friday I got a surprise at the door. A package had been delivered to me from a former patient. Thanks Lisa! Inside was a T-shirt and a wooden plaque. The shirts reads: “Retired Doctors Make the Best Grandpa.” The plaque says: “Never underestimate the difference you have made and the lives that you have touched.” Wow!!!
I’ll be honest…I sat with that for a while. Because when you’re in medicine, you don’t really think about it that way. You show up. You see patients. You do your best. You move on to the next one.
Day after day. Year after year. You don’t always see the long-term impact. You don’t always know what stuck. Or what mattered most. Or what someone carries with them after they leave the office. But every once in a while…something like this shows up. And it makes you stop. Over the years I have had the privilege of being part of people’s lives in ways that are hard to put into words. From routine visits…to difficult diagnoses…to moments where all someone really needed was to be heard. And somewhere along the way, those moments add up. Not into something measurable. Not into something you track. But into something meaningful. The gift wasn’t just about a shirt or a plaque. It was a reminder. That the work mattered. That the time mattered. That the connection mattered.
And now, as I step into this next chapter…maybe the title changes. From doctor…to grandpa. From schedule…to time. From constant motion…to something a little more intentional. But the purpose doesn’t really change. It just shows up differently. I’m grateful. For the patients. For the relationships. For the trust. And for the reminders like this…that what we do –day in and day out–can mean more that we realize. I am still striving. Still grateful. Just in a different role. I have looked at both of these gifts’ multiple times over this weekend. Floods of memories come back. Moments of future time with the grandkids floods in. I am lucky…to have done what I did for a career…and to now become fulltime as a grandpa. Because, like the shirt says…”Retired Doctors Make the Best Grandpas!” Keep moving everybody!!!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 795
by Dan | Apr 26, 2026 | Etc.
This weekend, we had the grandkids.
We didn’t do anything big–no big trip, no big plans. Just cards, games, a trip to the park, and a movie at home. Simple. Somewhere between shuffling cards, swings at the park, and sitting together watching a movie, it hit me…These are the moments that matter most! Not the big events. Not the things we plan for weeks. Not the things that fill the calendar. Just time together!
There was no rushing this weekend. No schedule to keep. No place where we needed to go. And maybe that’s what made it feel different. For so many years, life has been built around a schedule–clinic hours, meetings, workouts, responsibilities. Even weekends had a rhythm to them. But this weekend? We just let it happen! And it was enough.
Kids don’t need elaborate plans. They don’t need everything to be perfectly organized. They just need you to be there! To play the game. To go to the park. To sit next to them on the couch. To be present! As I was tucking each in at night, I was getting a bottle ready for Caleb, and Sarah told me Connor, the oldest, wanted to talk. I went into his room, and he goes: “Grandpa, can you snuggle with me?” Of course! We had a nice little talk. He knows they are going back home tomorrow, but he told me he had a lot of fun so far. He even said “Thank you!” We just laid and talked for another 10 minutes. You can just tell how much growing up he has done (now 4, 5 in July). Be present! Watching their smiles, especially Caleb, the youngest, when he is eating! He just had me roaring with laughs!
I’ve spent a lifetime striving–through medicine, through running, through trying to do things the right way. And there’s value in that. But weekends like this remind me that sometimes the best thing we can do…is just show up!
We didn’t do anything special this weekend. And that’s exactly what made it special. Because to my grandkids, Sarah, and I, we did everything special! Still striving. Still showing up. Just in a different way. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 788
by Dan | Apr 19, 2026 | Etc.
It has been quite a week. I have been learning lots of new things! I made it to Wednesday night run club–I have not been at it since Covid–but now I have time. It was a great turnout.
Tuesday night I went to my first camera club meeting. I was very reluctant to go at first and was very nervous because I don’t have all the fancy equipment, or even knowledge to use it. But I like taking pictures. Everyone was very laid back, showing and telling what their interests were. Talk about some amazing photos! I learned things already that first night, and have been practicing some with it since. The theme for next month’s meeting I got to pick: Reflections! This should fit right up my alley! I have been experimenting already with different techniques with the camera.
Thursday morning was a monthly meeting of retired doctors–“Doctor’s without offices”! We just meet once a month for coffee and discussion, and talk about days of practice, and what to all do with retirement. If was very fun seeing these people again. Many I had not worked with for quite a few years now. I am looking forward to this over time.
Yesterday we went to Huron for an author’s conference at the Library there. Megan was one of the speakers! She did great! It was an opportunity to hear about different authors from the state, and about their writing. The theme of the conference was “Find your Joy!” It was very fun, and interesting to hear about other people’s thoughts on writing, and creating a book. I learned some things from all of this. I have been chipping away at writing my “medical thriller”. Will see how this keeps going. They also have a writer’s club that meets monthly in Watertown, and I am planning on going for the first time this coming Tuesday. Same thing, nervous because I don’t know what to expect, but I am going in with the mindset of just hearing about other author’s thoughts on writing, and how they come up with topics!
I have spent a lifetime being a lifetime learner. I don’t see this changing in retirement. But one thing is for now, I am getting to learn new things that are of interest to me that I never had time to work on before. I am loving it! Who knows what the future holds in store going forward. The sky is the limit! The only thing blocking any ideas is what is between my ears. This is the part that is really exciting to think about. Now is the time to learn new things. Be adventurous. Sometimes it may not be comfortable, or anxiety free. This is where strength comes from. If you quit learning, you quit living…
Overall, it is just like running…some days everything falls into place, and other days it is a struggle. Those struggles lead to knowledge, gained from experience, which leads to growth. It may not always be obvious at the time…
So keep showing up. Keep trying. Keep living. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of newest streak: # 781
